Nimrat Kaur says marriage questions stopped after 'The Lunchbox' success with Irrfan Khan

Nimrat Kaur is perfectly content with her single status, though she has often faced probing questions about marriage from well-meaning acquaintances since her late twenties. It wasn’t until the success of her 2013 film 'The Lunchbox' that these doubts and remarks finally quieted. In an interview with News18, she shared, “I’ve dealt with marriage questions. Every girl deals with it. And until The Lunchbox happened, I didn’t get that validation and recognition from my ‘well-wishers’ and people in my extended surroundings."

Recognition Through 'The Lunchbox' and Irrfan Khan

The actress shared that her work gained recognition largely because Irrfan was part of the project. Before that, people often told her, “shaadi ka time aa gaya hai.” She noted that the questions about marriage only stopped after The Lunchbox proved her talent. “It took the film to convince them what I’m capable of. It made me deserving of their appreciation finally,” she said. However, Nimrat also expressed empathy, adding, “But I understand that they’re also suffering because of the conditioning and you can’t hold it against them."

Challenging the Notion of Marriage as ‘Settling Down’

She questions the belief that marriage is the only way for women to feel ‘settled’. She recalls that when she moved to Mumbai before 2005, people assumed she would eventually return home and live the traditional life expected of a woman. Whenever there was even a slight indication that her career wasn’t progressing well, or she wasn’t earning enough, or wasn’t where others thought she should be, she was urged to get married and ‘settle down,’ as if she was considered unsettled until she did.

Choosing Meaning Over Rush in Marriage

The actress is willing to wait rather than rush into a marriage that lacks true meaning. She observes many marriages that seem superficial and believes that people are often more unsettled and unstable in such relationships. To her, this is far more concerning than a woman who, by choice, remains unmarried at this stage in her life. She feels that such women should be left alone. According to her, it is usually those who have struggled to make bold decisions themselves who impose their own conditioning on others when they see them challenging traditional norms.

Early Struggles in Show Business

Nimrat recalls that the initial years in show business were tough and filled with uncertainty. For about six to seven years, she primarily worked in ad films and lived paycheck to paycheck, never knowing when her next payment would come. During this challenging time, people around her often questioned her commitment to her career, treating it more like a hobby. Many assumed that her stay in Mumbai was temporary, believing she was just having fun before eventually returning home to live the life expected of her.